Author: Jennifer Corn

Consumers have grown quite savvy when it comes to the art of gift-giving. There was a time when it was “the thought that counts,” which often led to frantic last-minute shopping trips for generic, boring trinkets. With the advent of digitally printable media like LexJet Sunset by Fredrix Matte Canvas or EnduraFab Stretch, customization has become one of the easiest ways to give meaningful gifts that express individuality and creativity.

Print service providers can help customers take ideas and turn them into personal, heartfelt pieces, creating a one-of-a-kind gift that will likely stay in the family for generations.

With such a thoughtful gift, why let the customer wrap it in store-bought wrapping paper? Take them on a fully customized journey: from the heart on the inside to the art on the outside.

HP Satin Wrapping Paper provides a completely unique gift-giving experience for your customers by adding text and images to the sturdy, satin-finished paper. Imagine wrapping a Christmas gift with paper that shows the kids’ evolution of Santa pictures through the years, or the fun and quirky dating history of a couple who will be celebrating their first holiday season as newlyweds.

Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner, with Valentine’s Day shortly thereafter, all of which means customized requests are sure to begin soon, if they haven’t already. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make your customer the family hero by partnering the ultimate customized wrapping paper with the ultimate customized gift.

This versatile FSC®-certified paper is not only the perfect add-on for customized holiday orders, but it is also ideal for year-round POP and poster printing because it drys quickly – which reduces smudging – and stays intact when handling.

HP Satin Wrapping Paper comes in 500-foot rolls that can be used with HP Latex, PageWide and Z-series production printers, and 30-in x 150-foot rolls, that can be used on smaller aqueous printers.

Another fun customization idea comes from Kathy Ogg of Re-Image Printing. This room looks like a warm and cozy scene, but you won’t find many fireplaces in Ogg’s Florida town. Instead, she used LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric to print the holly-jolly wall mural, pictured at left. “The only things actually 3-dimensional on this wall are the K, M and J stockings,” she says.

Print-N-Stick is available in aqueous and solvent-compatible versions, and is a fast and easy solution that goes up easily and comes down without leaving any residue behind.

“Print-N-Stick is the most fun material I’ve ever printed to, and I love how versatile it is,” Ogg says. “It’s truly removable without peeling paint or damaging wall behind it. It breaths better to adhere to textured walls.”

If you have any questions about customized printing, call your LexJet sales representative at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.

Take a break from food and football and enjoy some Black Friday savings on your favorite products from LexJet. From Thursday through Sunday, you can save 30% off regular price when you order any LexJet branded media online.

Remember, LexJet will be closed on Thursday and Friday, so this promotion is only valid online (while supplies last), and orders will ship on the next available business day. Use coupon code THANKS30 at checkout to apply your 30% savings.

Last month, the launch of the new HP Adhesive Vinyl products had everyone talking at SGIA. By the sound of it, they’re still talking! For the print service providers who work with calendared vinyl every day, the new line has proven to be an easy and profitable alternative to other major brands.

Whether applying to rigid substrates, wall graphics, outdoor signs or die-cutting for stickers, LexJet’s customers are excited about a versatile product that reproduces images well, is easy to install and is cost-effective:

Sara Smith with Goodyear, Ariz., based Needle Supply Printing, recently purchased the HP Prime Gloss CP to print custom stickers. “The print was very fluid and made the colors pop,” she says. “There is very little deviation from the colors printed to the proof PDFs and the cuts are nice and crisp.” When compared to working with other brands available, she says, “the colors are truer than with my previous material and the gloss is more vibrant.”

William Roll of Signarama in Dothan, Ala., used the HP Prime Matte Air GP, laminated with the HP Matte Polymeric Overlaminate to create outdoor signage. For Roll and his team, the HP products are preferred over other options that are in the print shop. “My guys love the HP,” he says. “They grab it for every application they can use it on, and they tell me that the air-release component is the best they’ve ever used.”

Tyler Birch of Atchley Signs & Graphics in Columbus, Ohio, used HP Prime Gloss Air GP for an indoor application at a local gym. “We did an install onto a gym wall mat and it went on without a hitch! The rigidity of the material and the strength of the backer lead to a smooth installation,” Birch says.

Rounding out the first wave of customer reviews is Mason Ross of AlphaGraphics in Rexburg, Idaho. To create an in-house wall graphic, pictured at top, Ross chose the HP Prime Gloss Air GP and the Polymeric Matte Overlaminate to create a wall mural that was full of detailed text, spot-on colors, and multiple image depths. “The printing quality is just as good, if not better than other products I’ve used,” he says. “Since (LexJet sales specialist) Vince told me about the new HP products, I’ve switched completely from other brands.”

Due to the enormity of the project, with the various relief aspects, Ross estimated the whole install took about six hours; however, he said, “the vinyl installed very smooth and then when it came time to put the vinyl on the wall, that took the least amount of time for the whole project.”

These examples showcase the versatility of the new product line, giving PSPs the ability to condense the number of items kept on hand, freeing up space and reducing costs. If you are interested in trying one of the new HP Adhesive Vinyls, contact your LexJet sales representative at 800-453-9538 or visit us online at LexJet.com.

When it comes to professional dry lab imaging, the EPSON D-Series printers have been the industry standard for output. At the 2018 SGIA Expo, the new SureLab D700 was released. The new dry lab printer offers exceptional print speeds (up to 460 4×6-inch prints an hour) and simple media loading an unloading. This new printer also offers border-free prints in standard and custom sizes, as well as panorama printing with any 5-, 6-, or 8-inch roll media.

While the announcement of the SureLab D700 is exciting for professional labs and photographers, the release of the four new SureColor T-Series printers brings more options for the PSPs who are printing for GIS, construction, blueprints and line-drawings.

SureColor T3170 Wireless is a 24-inch desktop printer that fits nicely into small spaces, like construction trailers or retail offices. The wireless capability allows you to print directly from your phone or tablet anywhere in the office or print shop.

Epson SureColor T5170

SureColor T5170 Wireless is a 36-inch printer that allows for either sheet-fed or roll printing and offers the same benefits as the T3170.

SureColor T3470 24-inch and SureColor T5470 36-inch printers are ideal for high-production printing of line drawings, blueprints and posters. Sensitive information is safeguarded with advanced network security and encryption features. You can print either through router-free Wi-Fi printing or plug a USB thumb drive directly into the printer for PC-free printing.